Slayer Mercury
by Qihotex
Summary: Buffy wonders when sailor suits came back into fashion. And why didn't she get the memo?
1. First Encounter

**Disclaimer:**This is a derivative work. All BtVS characters belong to or were created by Joss Whedon, and Mutant Enemy. The Sailor Moon franchise was created by Naoko Takeuchi.  
**Spoilers:** Buffy Seasons 1 thru 6 (AU after). Sailor Moon - it's all fair game.  
**Summary:** Buffy encounters the unexpected, even for Sunnydale. A woman in a seifuku. And she wonders whose geek fanboy fantasy she's fallen into.  
**Pairing:** None to start with.  
**Author's Notes:** A series of ficlets. Eventually an arc. Infrequent updates as the muse strikes.  
**Word count:** 1,824 (1 of ?)

* * *

Ignoring the slippery feeling from the blood pooling in her left shoe, Buffy just barely kept her balance. It wasn't the weight of her cargo but her awkward grip on the girl that was making her walk like a one footed zombie. It was a good thing they knew her there, she thought as she staggered into the ER.

"Help!" Buffy yelled as soon as she was safely past the security guard and into the ER, bustling with its normal amount of early Saturday morning chaos. Looking around for a familiar face in the chaos, Buffy spotted Dr. Beckett, who always seemed to be there when she dragged in some barely breathing survivor of an encounter with Sunnydale's more lethal night life. Catching her eye, he motioned her and her burden over to one side of the room.

"Hey Doc," Buffy mumbled, carefully laying the injured girl down on the closest gurney while attempting to keep her hand clamped on the girl's seeping wound. The only thing keeping her from bleeding to death for the last few miles had been Buffy's hand applying pressure to the hole at the base of her throat.

"What happened?" he asked while cautiously sliding a thick pad of gauze over Buffy's hand. "Nurse!" he yelled, attracting the attention of a nurse before allowing Buffy to remove her hand.

Glancing quickly at the doctor looking over his shoulder, a small Asian woman with dark, blue tinted hair, Buffy shrugged noncommittally. "Not sure. It was some kind of wild animal," she said, knowing he would understand what she wasn't saying.

"Wild animal?" the nurse asked, joining them.

"Are you all set?" Buffy asked, ignoring her question.

"We've got her," Doctor Beckett said, giving her a nod.

Buffy nodded in return, stepping away from the gurney. "Thanks," she said before turning to leave. She'd barely taken a step when a firm grip on her arm halted her.

"Where are you going?" a female voice with a faint accent asked her.

Turning back around, Buffy found herself looking into dark eyes level with her own. She frowned a moment before answering. "Home."

"Not until someone examines you," the doctor said, pointing at one of the examination rooms with her other hand.

"No one needs to examine me," Buffy told her, trying to pry her hand loose without giving away her true strength.

"You are bleeding," she countered.

"Doc?" Buffy said, giving Doctor Beckett a hopeful look as he and the nurse started to wheel the girl she'd brought in down the hall.

He shook his head at her, his eyes reflecting amusement at her predicament. "Doctor Mizuno is running things tonight."

"But..." Buffy grumbled. As much as she disliked hospitals, she occasionally needed the services of the Sunnydale ER and couldn't just leave if she wanted to stay in their good graces, even though she really couldn't afford to have them fix a simple scratch right now. Although her father's insurance still covered Dawn, a minimum wage job and health insurance were not things that went together in her own case.

"We'll put it on your tab, Buffy," He said, having known her long enough to understand her reluctance. "She'll take good care of you. Go!" he said before turning back to his new patient.

As soon as she started towards the examination room, the doctor released her arm. Stepping into the room several steps in front of her, Buffy hopped up onto the exam table, just barely suppressing the urge to pout. It wasn't that she had anywhere special to be. With Dawn out of town for the rest of the month at the riding camp she'd guilted their father into paying for, she had the house to herself. But she couldn't enjoy the welcome solitude if she wasn't there. Or the long, hot shower she'd been so looking forward to.

* * *

Ami followed the leather clad woman into the examination room, frowning at the trail of blood she was leaving behind. It didn't take a genius of her caliber to know that something strange was going on. Dr. Beckett hadn't seemed too surprised at the sudden appearance of this woman in the ER. Or that she was carrying someone who was seriously injured. In fact, it was almost as if she were a regular visitor.

"Please remove your jacket Miss Buffy," Ami said, pulling on a pair of rubber gloves.

"Just Buffy," she corrected as she slipped it off, throwing it onto a nearby chair. "Most of it isn't mine," she muttered defensively, looking down at her blood covered blouse. "Throat wounds bleed a lot."

"You'll need to remove the blouse also," Ami told her, hoping her patient was correct that it was the girl's blood and not her own, dismissing her odd comment for the moment.

Buffy shrugged gingerly, a sign to Ami that the woman wasn't injury free. Moving slowly, Buffy unbuttoned her blouse and grimaced as she started to slide it off.

"Stop, please," Ami said, when it was obvious that the blouse was stuck to her side in several spots. Picking up a pair of shears, Ami moved closer and gently started to cut around the large bloodstain covering Buffy's lower back and left side. "Please stay still," she admonished her patient when she started to fidget, carefully helping her remove the remains of the blouse. The young woman sat there, shivering in the cool air, a large patch of bloodstained material stuck to her side. Even though they were approximately the same height, her fragile looking appearance made Ami feel gigantic.

"I'll return in a minute. Please do not leave." Ami told her firmly before leaving the room in search of a free nurse. Approaching the waiting room desk, she looked at the small cluster of nurses standing around waiting for something to happen.

"What do you need, Dr. Mizuno?" the head nurse, Watson, asked.

"Assistance with my patient. Please," Ami said.

"Is Buffy being difficult again?" one of the other nurses asked with a grin.

"Difficult?" Ami gave her a puzzled look. Other than the original reluctance to be treated, her patient had been well behaved so far.

"How'd you get her to stay?" another one asked curiously.

"Why wouldn't she stay?" Ami asked, looking at the small group for an explanation but receiving only silence from the group for an answer.

"Okay..." Nurse Watson said. "Donna, looks like it's your turn," she said, nodding at the oldest of the group. Opening the closest filing cabinet, she pulled out a slim folder and handed it to Donna. "Here's her updated file."

Sighing, Donna took it and followed Ami back to the examining room.

"Hey Donna..." Buffy said, greeting the gray haired nurse when she entered the room behind Ami.

"Causing trouble again?" Donna asked, handing the file to Ami.

"You know me. It's not officially Friday night in Sunnydale without a trip to the ER," Buffy said.

"It is Saturday." Ami corrected, automatically, watching Donna set up everything she needed without being asked. Opening the file she quickly read through the very brief information. The only thing out of the ordinary was a handwritten note listing different painkillers in higher than normal doses and how long they remained effective.

"This will hurt," she told Buffy, taking the large, disinfectant soaked cotton swab from Donna. Gently dabbing at the blood coated material, Ami slowly removed the scraps of blouse as they loosened, revealing three shallow cuts in her side. None of them were too serious and had already stopped bleeding.

Looking at the longest of the cuts, Ami wondered what had caused them. They were similar to claw marks but the edges looked almost surgical. "They will need stitches and you will need a tetanus shot," she said.

"Had one of those last week," Buffy told her, her face blank as Ami applied a local anesthetic. "Don't need another."

"It isn't in your file," Ami said.

"There are a lot of things not in her file," Donna muttered. Intercepting the glare Buffy directed at Donna, Ami wondered what she was missing as she carefully lined up the edges of the cuts, using small skin clamps that would hold them in place while she sutured them.

* * *

Even with the note in her file, Ami was surprised at how quickly the local she'd used had worn off. She'd barely finished stitching the second cut when it was obvious that Buffy was feeling every poke of the needle.

"Buffy?"

"Yes?" she turned her head and focused on Ami.

"If you need it, you can have another shot for the pain."

"I'm fine," Buffy muttered.

"You have one more to go," Ami told her. "It will be painful."

"I'm fine," she repeated. "Finish with the stitching so I can go."

"Buffy?" Donna said. "You can always take a taxi home."

"And it's almost dawn," Buffy said. "I can get home on my own. Just finish."

Ami shook her head. "You remind me of an old friend," she said quietly as she started stitching the final cut, trying to ignore the tremors going through Buffy's muscles with every poke of the needle. "Pain is not something to ignore." She wasn't surprised that Buffy seemed to ignore her comment.

Stepping back after she'd finished, Ami gestured for the nurse to cover the sutures with a protective layer of bandages. Tossing her gloves in the medical waste receptacle, she pulled out her prescription pad.

"Nurse? She'll need a shirt," she said when the stitches were completely covered.

"I'll be right back," Donna said, leaving the room for a minute. She quickly returned, carrying a large plastic bag and a scrub top. She helped Buffy into the top before putting her blood soaked coat in the bag. "I'm sure I don't need to tell you what to do with the coat." she told Buffy, holding out the bag.

"Nope. I'll get that taken care of," Buffy said, standing up. Taking the bag she tucked it under her arm on her uninjured side.

"Here are prescriptions for painkillers and an antibiotic," Ami told her, handing her the prescriptions. "Don't forget to make an appointment before you leave to have the stitches taken out."

Ami wasn't surprised when she simply nodded and left the examination room.

"She won't be back," Donna told her. "At least not for that."

"Why not?" Ami asked as they followed her out of the room.

Donna shrugged. "You were lucky she let you do that for her. She usually takes care of minor injuries like that on her own."

"Minor?" Ami stared as the nurse, without answer her question, headed back to the receptionist desk.

"Stubborn superheroes. More trouble than they're worth sometimes," Donna muttered almost too low for Ami to hear.

"Superhero?" Ami echoed, puzzled. Turning, she caught a glimpse of Buffy strolling out of the ER, her clothes the only sign of where she'd just spent the last hour.


	2. What Is Your Sign?

* * *

**Author's Notes[1]:** Since this takes place in Sunnydale (mostly), you'll have to pardon the serious lack of Japanese by Ami in her Mercury form. Or almost any Japanese at all. And at times Ami's command of English will appear to be better than Buffy's.  
**Author's Notes[2]:** From this installment it should be apparent that not every chapter is going to be as serious/grim as the first one. BSSM after all does have comedic roots.  
**Warning:** This story contains a bit of background-exposition. And takes place in a world/AU where assorted superheroes, besides the Sailor Senshi, do exist, even if they never have a valid reason to visit Sunnydale.  
**Word Count:** 2,393 (2 of ?)

* * *

Leaning back against the wall, her arms crossed, Buffy fingered the point of her stake through the thin material of her sleeve. It was just another Saturday at the Bronze she thought, scrunching her nose at the combined sour smells of spilled beer and vomit.

Environmental nastiness aside, it'd been a quiet night so far. In fact, the pickings for the last week had been unusually slim, even for late summer as students and other short term residents trickled back into Sunnydale right before the start of the Fall semester. There'd been dry spells before but usually only to this extent right after an apocalypse and that'd happened months ago, not right before a prime hunting season.

Something or someone was either killing or scaring away the demons, vampires, and other creatures normally attracted to the Hellmouth at this time of year. It wasn't that she had a problem with not having to fight for her life every night, but the decrease in the demon population was setting off all sorts of alarms in her head.

Buffy really hoped it wasn't being caused by another master vampire, or new demon clan attracted to the burst of dark power Willow'd let loose during her brief meltdown after Tara's death. Not that she was really concerned, she decided, her eyes roaming across the packed dance floor. She'd survived Lothos, the Master, Angelus, Spike, and Dracula. To say nothing of the Mayor and Glory. She'd already slayed half a dozen master vampire wanna-bees since the beginning of the summer. A true master vampire would be a challenge but not an impossible one.

She also hoped it wasn't being caused by some well meaning demon hunter looking to make a name for themselves against the rumored new dark power in Sunnydale. Buffy couldn't begin to imagine how much worse it could have been if she hadn't dropped in at several hunter hangouts to warn them away from Sunnydale, following Giles' suggestion before he'd taken Willow away.

She'd only had to beat up a couple of them to get the point through their dense chauvinistic brains that she was serious about them staying off her turf. Even then she'd still chased a number of them away from Sunnydale and was more than ready to stop being the designated Hellmouth tour guide for every Tom, Dean, or Yohko passing through.

At least when it came to costumed heroes she had no worries that they would interfere. The Council had spread the word that she'd taken care of things, and to remind them that Sunnydale fell within her purview. She'd actually been surprised by that the last time she talked with him. Giles had explained the role the Council had played in calming things down after Willow's little escapade set off apocalypse detectors all over the world. Quentin Travers hadn't seemed like someone to care about peaceful cooperation between the assorted evil fighting vigilante groups. She might have to revise her opinion of him, though she was no hurry to lead any parades in his honor.

So, it probably wasn't one of those. She either had an independent evil fighter wandering around Sunnydale, or something evil had moved in right under her nose and was disposing of the competition before she could catch them.

The driving beat of the music wasn't helping her figure it out. Time to take the show on the road, she decided, pushing herself away from the wall.

* * *

Buffy felt it less than a block from Restfield, on her way home from her last planned stop of the night, visiting Tara's grave. The cemetery wasn't on her patrol schedule for the night. She'd cleaned out the latest vampire nest there less than a month ago and it would be another month or so before something dared to move into one of the empty crypts they all seemed to gravitate towards.

She suspected it was some kind of slayer scent or aura she left behind after a fight that kept them away for that long but hadn't felt it was something she could ask Giles about. He would probably blush and rub his glasses into non-existence at such a personal seaming question.

Whatever the feeling was, it wasn't anything she was familiar with. Demons left a faint but distinctly smokey flavor in the back of her throat but she had to be almost on top of them to notice. And vampires, those supernatural cockroaches that were the bane of her existence, left her feeling crampy, but only when she was close enough to almost touch them. This was something else with enough power to attract even her attention from a distance.

Somewhere in Restfield was something potentially more dangerous than the average supernatural Sunnydale pest. It took her less than a moment to decide to investigate. It wasn't like she had a reason to hurry home with Dawn visiting their father for the rest of the summer.

Avoiding the main gate glowing in the moonlight, Buffy carefully circled around to a side entrance out of sight of the road. Slowly opening the much smaller gate, she cautiously entered the cemetery and looked around. Restfield wasn't the largest cemetery in Sunnydale but there were a number of large mausoleums that prevented her from seeing across the entire cemetery, even with her enhanced night vision.

The power pulled at her, guiding her towards the center of the cemetery. The closer she got, the stronger the feeling got, but still not familiar. Standing in the shadow of the last mausoleum between her and her target, Buffy leaned cautiously forward to get an unobstructed look.

Standing on top of a mausoleum was a faintly glowing figure holding a small device in front of her face. Obviously, someone hadn't gotten the Council's message that the apocalypse was long over, Buffy thought, her jaw dropping in amazement at the unexpected sight of a woman dressed in a costume that she was sure belonged on a comic book character.

Her eyes adjusting to the faint glow, Buffy's first impression was of a woman, around her own age or slightly younger, dressed in a short blue skirt, a form fitting white top, blue boots, and white gloves. Her lower legs were protected by her boots and her gloves seemed to end at her elbows in some kind of protective armor.

She had to force her eyes away from that short, short skirt. She wondered what kind of magic or super heroine fashion high tech allowed the woman to wear such a short skirt without her butt showing. Maybe it was that large blue bow she could see the edges of?

Sure, she'd fought vampires in a short skirt when she'd first become the slayer, but not that short and being able to turn your foes to dust tended to limit the length of the potential embarrassment. Maybe she was one of those hero types who never actually had to fight their foes up close and personal? She didn't seem to be armed but didn't superheroes have special powers, Buffy wondered, stepping forward silently, hoping to get a closer look before she was noticed.

The stylized sailor collar lent a sailor suit look to her costume, though Buffy couldn't remember hearing about any superhero who dressed like a Japanese school girl. Her eyes were shielded by a tinted visor, preventing Buffy from seeing what color they were. A gold tiara with a blue gem at its center was barely visible from Buffy's position. The blue choker with a gold star below her chin would have looked childish worn by anyone else. Her sailor collar ended in a light blue bow with a blue heart just above her chest.

Her hair was short, with a faint blue cast to it that looked almost familiar, though she couldn't remember where she'd seen that color before. She would bet her favorite stake that the woman was human but the overall effect was of a beautiful, almost unearthly being.

Buffy froze, as the woman finally noticed she wasn't alone and with a frown pointed the device in her direction, looking her straight in the eyes.

* * *

Looking across the quiet cemetery, Mercury suppressed a sigh of frustration. She'd jumped at the opportunity to experience American medicine after finishing her internship in Tokyo, looking forward to two years away from the soap opera that surrounded the other Senshi. The adventure of experiencing a different culture from the inside had been irresistible.

But there was an alienness to America that she was still getting used to. When her memories of her life in the Silver Millennium had begun to return years ago, they'd seemed to fit in with her current life. She'd never really thought too deeply about why her Princess and the Senshi were reincarnated where they were. Until now.

Between settling into her new position at the hospital and the interference from the unexpected energy nexus centered in the new high school, it'd taken her a month to complete her planned survey of Sunnydale.

Occasionally she'd encountered creatures imbued with the same nexus energy but the few who'd attacked her had been easily dealt with, though she suspected it had been mostly because she'd surprised them. She'd mapped out the locations of pockets of nexus energy, mostly centered around the cemeteries but also in a surprising number of abandoned houses and other buildings scattered around the small city and nearby university campus.

But what she wasn't seeing was the beacon of Dark Kingdom energy that had originally attracted her attention to Sunnydale. Something was shielding it from her. She hoped she had time to find it before someone else with less noble motives did.

A flashing alarm in a corner of her goggles drew her attention back to the center of cemetery. Something was watching her. It was a creature that had a faint energy signature that carried an echo of the now familiar nexus energy. Quickly running through a scan of her immediate vicinity with her computer, she pinpointed it coming from a slight figure watching her from the shadow of a nearby mausoleum.

Slowly turning, Mercury found herself looking at the familiar face of her patient from the previous day. She hoped she'd hidden her surprise, she thought when their eyes met. Before she could say anything, a rapidly approaching thing with a human-like face appeared, radiating so much nexus energy it overwhelmed her goggles for a moment, almost blinding her.

Before she finished resetting her goggles, she heard the sounds she associated with fighting. Shoes scuffing the ground. Flesh hitting flesh. Grunts and growls piercing the quiet cemetery. When she could see again, Buffy was gone and the sounds had receded.

Muttering some choice curses she'd learned from Mars, Mercury attempted to follow, using the nexus energy as a beacon, leaping from the top of one crypt to another until she was on the edge of the cemetery. The nexus energy was still setting off an alarm in her display, but Buffy was alone.

Mercury hopped down from the crypt and cautiously approached her. She detected a slight tenseness but otherwise Buffy ignored her as she brushed dust from her clothes. Looking around, she adjusted the magnification on her goggles. Her eyes landed on an object sticking out of the side of a small marble obelisk.

"What is that?" she asked, turning to Buffy, who'd managed to get close without her noticing. At Buffy's confused look she realized she'd been speaking Lunarian. At least she hadn't slipped into Japanese, she thought with relief. Switching to English, she asked again.

"Vamp tried to gut me with it," Buffy said with a grimace. "Must be special. Most knives bend or shatter when they get jammed into solid stone like that."

"Vamp?" Mercury asked, as she started scanning the knife. Other than containing a large amount of the local nexus energy, it registered as a knife with an unusual silver and iron blade. "Silver?" she murmured under her breath.

"Why would a vampire have a silver knife," Buffy said to herself.

"That was a vampire? Like Dracula?" Mercury asked in surprise. She'd always thought vampires were just legends. The Senshi had run into a number of strange creatures over the years but nothing like a classical movie vampire.

"More or less. Dracula wasn't a normal vampire," Buffy said. "Most other vampires don't like to play with their food. They just kill you."

"Oh," Mercury said. Her computer beeped to tell her it was finished. Frowning at it, she wondered what caused it to contain so much energy.

"No, don't touch it!" she blurted out the order when she saw Buffy's hand reaching for the hilt.

"Why not?" Buffy asked.

"It's dangerous! It contains an unknown kind of energy," she said.

"Energy? Like what?"

"I don't know for sure," Mercury told her. "I haven't finished analyzing it."

"Who are you?" Buffy asked abruptly.

"I am sorry," Mercury said, embarrassed at forgetting that Buffy wouldn't recognize her in her Senshi form. "My name is Sailor Mercury," she said, bowing slightly.

"Just passing through?" Buffy asked, pulling a scrap of material out of a pocket and using it to grasp the hilt.

"What is that?" Mercury asked, ignoring her question, starting as the nexus energy seemed to disappear from her goggle's sensors.

"It's neutered?" Buffy said, frowning as she tugged on the hilt.

"Neutered?" One of them didn't know what that word meant, Mercury guessed, because her explanation didn't make complete sense to her.

"Yeah, magic can't pass through it," Buffy told her, stepping back and triumphantly holding up the knife. "Sunnydale is littered with junk someone used in some spell or did something to with magic. If you're going to be in town long you'll need to learn to recognize it." She paused, looking at Mercury inquiringly.

Mercury nodded. If this nexus energy was caused by magic it was certainly not magic she was familiar with. Frowning, she changed a setting in her goggles and adjusted a parameter in her computer's scanner.

"Ahem..."

Mercury looked up from her computer to see Buffy looking at her impatiently. She sighed, coming to a decision. She was going to have to give her some reasonable explanation for her presence in Sunnydale if she didn't want to antagonize one of the town's apparent protectors.


	3. Beach Buffy

* * *

**Disclaimer update:** Buckaroo Bonzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers don't actually appear in this story but Xander seems to know them, though their appearance on the West Coast when they're an East Coast phenomena is currently unexplained. _(Not sure who owns the Buckaroo Bonzai IP - the movie was written by Earl Mac Rauch, directed/produced by W.D. Richter and distributed by Fox and MGM (dvd). But it's not me.)_  
**Author's Note:** I very rarely give Xander as much time in my stories as he gets here. But I needed a neutral adult for Buffy to interact with, so he might be acting more mature than he was for most of canon. Sorry.  
**Word Count:** 2,536 (3 of ?)

_Posted for the International Day of Femslash (today, July 18th)_

* * *

Buffy sat on the stacked paving stones at the edge of the construction site, waiting for Xander to take his break, ignoring the attention of the dozen construction workers scattered around the site. If they wanted to be rude and stare at her cute outfit, she would just pretend they weren't there, something she'd gotten a lot of practice doing in the month since she'd started dropping in on him for lunch.

She was slightly dismayed that she'd gotten used to the crude remarks from his crew. It had taken all of her restraint the first week not to pound the more vocal ones into the ground but she hadn't wanted to make any trouble for Xander. He hadn't said anything, though he'd suggested more than once that they meet somewhere else for lunch, but she refused to be driven away.

"Hey Buff, how goes the nightlife?" Xander asked, leaning against the pile and dropping his lunch onto the stones to her right.

"Still post apocalypse light," she said, grabbing the bottle of water he was holding out.

"Any ideas yet?" he asked, handing her half of his huge sandwich.

"Maybe," she mumbled around a mouthful of roast beef.

"Outside talent?" he asked.

Buffy nodded. "You still keep in contact with that Buck guy don't you?" she asked.

"Buckaroo Banzai?"

"That's the one," Buffy said, smiling as she remembered some of the tales he'd told her when he'd finally admitted he'd spent half the summer after high school as a roadie for an obscure NJ bar band that was really the front for a roving troubleshooter and his gang of geniuses. "Any chance you could ask him to look up some info for me?"

"Something you can't ask Giles?" Xander asked, brushing crumbs off of his shirt.

Buffy frowned. "No, but there's no reason to involve him or the Council right now. I'd ask Willow but..."

"Yeah, she's still having technology issues," he said. "The coven won't let her near anything more complicated than a rotary phone yet."

"But she's getting better, right?" Buffy asked. She hadn't talked with Willow since Giles had dragged her off to that coven in England but Xander called her at least once a week.

"She has her good days," Xander said, shaking his head. "A few more every week. So what do you want me to find out for you?"

"There was this woman in Restfield last night," Buffy told him. "She said she'd detected energy from something called the Dark Kingdom back in May and was looking for the source."

"Dark Kingdom? Doesn't sound familiar," Xander said, frowning. "Did she mean the Hellmouth?"

"Possible but I don't think so. That's heavy mystical stuff. She had some kind of computer so it's probably a science-y kind of energy."

"There's that temple Willow found," Xander muttered, taking a drink. "Or maybe Warren did something?"

"She said something about detecting it from Tokyo," Buffy said. "Warren was small time. He didn't have that kind of reach. He was just a catalyst for Willow's meltdown."

"I don't think Willow sees it quite that way," Xander said, giving her a stern look.

"No, she doesn't. But the misogynist psycho killed Tara so she has the right to be a bit biased," she said, suppressing a sigh.

"Weren't you shot also?" Xander asked. "That contributed to the Willow chaos."

"I get hurt all the time, Xander, but I usually get better," Buffy said. "Willow's used to that. But Tara was a non-combat person, like Dawn and Anya. She shouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Non-combatant," Xander corrected her.

"Enough with the depressing thoughts," she added, taking a deep breath. "What were we talking about? Oh yeah, our mysterious Sunnydale visitor."

"Did she give you her name?"

"Sailor something," Buffy said.

"Sailor V?"

"Who?" Buffy stared at him, the name not ringing any bells.

"She was spotted fighting crime in London a few years ago," he said. "Schoolgirl-ish costume. Minor super powers."

"Never heard of her," Buffy told him, though she thought the schoolgirl costume sounded vaguely familiar.

"It was before you moved to Sunnydale," Xander added with a shrug. "There was even a video game based on her."

"Mine was dressed like she fell out of a comic book," Buffy said. "How'd you hear about this Sailor V?"

"Jesse had this thing for magical girls," he said. "She was like a real one."

"What's a 'magical girl'?" Buffy asked, suspecting from his nervous look that Jessie hadn't been the only one with a thing.

"It's an anime thing."

"They're in those Japanese cartoons?" Buffy asked. "Like those weird Dragonball Z characters?"

"Yup. Except they're cute girls in really short skirts, with magical powers, fighting monsters," Xander said. "Not strange aliens with kung-fu super powers."

"There's a word for guys who like that sort of thing," Buffy said, smirking at him. "What does Anya think about your secret vice?"

"She doesn't know. I met a real magical girl or two. Haven't looked back," he said with a wink.

"Good save," Buffy told him with a laugh. "Mercury," she added.

"Mercury what?"

"Sailor Mercury," Buffy said. "That's what she said her name was."

"Huh, I wonder if they're related."

"Do you have a good picture of this Sailor V?" Buffy asked hopefully.

"You can Google her," Xander said.

"Do you need a computer for that?" Buffy winced at his expression.

"You need to get your own computer," Xander told her. "How'd you get through school without one?"

"That was a Willow thing," Buffy said. "I used hers or one in one of the computer labs on campus. I didn't need my own."

"Didn't Willow set Dawn up with a laptop for school last year?" he asked.

"Yes, but she took it with her for the summer so she could e-mail all her friends while she was gone," Buffy said.

Xander sighed. "Giles has an excuse," he said. "He grew up using an abacus and slide rule."

"I know," Buffy said sheepishly, unwilling to admit that she was still just barely making ends meet. "But..."

"No buts, young lady," he said, wagging a finger at her and speaking in a pseudo-Giles accent. "Not all weapons are sharp and pointy. Information is power."

"Sir, Yes, Sir," Buffy said, hopping down and giving him an exaggerated salute.

"Smart ass," Xander grumbled, grabbing their trash.

"You know you love me," Buffy told him with a grin, avoiding a half hearted swipe.

"You have your moments," he said. "I have to get back to work and don't you have to work this afternoon?"

"Took the afternoon off," Buffy told him. "Investigating other potential job options. Preferably not in the food service industry."

"There's a name for people who pretend to read want ads at the beach," Xander said.

"How'd you know I was going to the beach?" Buffy asked.

"Ancient Harris secret," he said with a grin, waving at her.

"Huh?" Buffy said, looking down. Shorts? Check. Sandals? Check. T-shirt? Double check. There was no way he could have known her plans from what she was wearing over her favorite bikini, she thought.

He just shook his head. "Why don't you come over tonight? I'll ask Anya over. She doesn't have Willow's magic touch but she knows a few tricks."

"Okay," Buffy said, giving him a quick hug. "Thanks. And don't forget to call your Buckaroo friend," she reminded him.

"What's in it for me?" Xander asked.

"A hug?" Buffy said, tilting her head to the side.

"Two hugs and you've got yourself a deal," he said.

"Two? You used to promise me the moon just for one," she said with a pout.

"I've built up an immunity," he said, tossing their garbage into a nearby trash can. "So, tonight?" he asked as she turned to leave.

"Tonight," she agreed, giving him a wave as she left. Humming to herself, she skipped down the sidewalk for a minute before settling down into a more sedate stroll in the direction of home to pick up her bag before hitting the beach.

* * *

She looked like she was born swimming, Buffy thought, watching her doctor from the other night as she swam out to the furthest raft and back in the calm ocean water. Wondering how many laps she'd completed, she dropped her towel onto a bare patch of sand near an unoccupied chair and umbrella.

Looking around, Buffy was mildly surprised. The beach was unusually crowded for Sunnydale. They were mostly college students, splashing in the water, playing games in the sand. Native 'dale residents treated the beach with the same caution as the local cemeteries and back alleys, traveling in small, quiet groups, not loud boisterous masses. Spotting one of her neighbors further down the beach, Buffy gave them a restrained wave before proceeding to make herself comfortable for the afternoon.

Smoothing out her towel, Buffy pulled off her t-shirt, stopping to shake out her hair before sliding off her shorts to reveal the rest of her bikini. With restraint born of long exposure to the creepy voyeurism of male beach goers, she ignore the attention this operation generated and adjusted her top. Reaching into her bag she grabbed her favorite sun screen, a special concoction of magical and natural ingredients that had been a gift from Tara on her last birthday.

Starting with her face and neck, and twisting acrobatically to reach her back, she worked her way down to her feet, rubbing in the sandalwood scented lotion until it seemed to disappear into her skin, leaving it soft but not sticky. One of the things she liked about it was that it didn't leave her skin with that porn magazine glow that seemed to be a big selling point of most sun screen. It was invisible but extremely affective until she washed it off with soap.

Lowering herself down onto her towel, Buffy reached into her beach bag and pulled out the local want ads. She was really hoping the sand and the sea air would inspire her job search.

She'd gone through the paper twice without finding anything that she could or was willing to do, though she'd found several ads that seemed suspiciously like demon traps she'd check out later. Feeling a slight, damp breeze, Buffy looked up to see the doctor standing next to the umbrella, drying herself off. She tried not to stare at the unexpectedly trim, athletic figure of the woman in her one piece swimsuit.

Clearing her throat, Buffy gave her a faint, beach neighbor appropriate smile. "Hi, Doctor Mizuno," she said, keeping her voice low. "Haven't seen you here before."

"Good afternoon, Buffy-san," She said, peering intently at Buffy, her eyebrows going up as she glanced at her, obviously searching for something. "You did not return to have your stitches removed."

"Oops?" Buffy blushed. She'd forgotten about the stitches. She'd taken them out herself the night before when the itching had gotten unbearable. The only visible signs of the injury were already fading into her tan. "Coffee"?

"I beg your pardon?"

"Let me buy you coffee some time to make up for it," Buffy said.

"Call me Ami," she said. "And you may."

"Ami?" Buffy repeated, before realizing she'd said yes.

"Doctors are allowed to have first names," she said, giving Buffy a faint smile.

"Tomorrow? After you get done with work?"

"I work the late shift this month," Ami told her regretfully. "I do not finish until 8AM."

"Breakfast then?" Buffy asked, hoping from Ami's bemused look that she wasn't sounding too pushy. She couldn't explain it rationally but there was something extremely likable about the recently arrived doctor that had her wanting to get to know her better. "Or coffee with breakfast?"

"Coffee would be wonderful," Ami said, giving her a faint smile before sitting down in her beach chair.

"Good. I'll meet you outside the hospital in the morning," Buffy told her.

* * *

The door was jerked open before Buffy had a chance to finish knocking.

"Is she here?" Anya asked excitedly.

"Is who here?" Buffy asked, looking over Anya's shoulder at Xander, hoping he would explain.

"The Moon Princess," Anya said, resisting as Xander pulled her back into the apartment so Buffy could enter.

"The who princess?" Buffy asked, closing the door behind her.

"Xander said you met one of her Senshi last night," Anya said. "You did!" she said, wriggling loose from his arms and giving him a glare when he tried to stop her.

"I said she met someone who called themselves Sailor Mercury," Xander said. "Nothing about some princess."

"Yup," Buffy agreed, slightly bemused. "No princess."

"Yes!" Anya said, jumping up and down for a minute before plopping down on the couch. "One of the Sailor Senshi."

"Huh?"

"They guard the Moon Princess," Anya said. "Do you think she'll come to the Magic Box for the grand reopening?"

"Sailor Mercury?"

"No, the Princess," Anya said, giving them both an exasperated look.

"What can you tell me about Sailor Mercury?" Buffy asked, grabbing a chair from the kitchen table.

"It was all before my time," Anya said. "All I know is what I've heard."

"And...?" Buffy prompted.

"There used to be people on other planets," Anya told them. "Each planet had a ruler but the Queen of the Moon ruled all of them. Except maybe Earth?" Anya shrugged. "Anyway, something happened and they were all destroyed."

"If they were all destroyed; who's the Princess and Sailor Mercury?" Buffy asked.

"There are rumors," Anya said, "that the old Queen could do magic. Before she died, she did a spell so that her daughter and her protectors were reincarnated. They're supposed to be living in Tokyo."

"Any idea why one of them would be in Sunnydale?"

"No," Anya said. "When you talk with her again..."

"Why would I?" Buffy asked.

"Because you're the Sunnydale Welcoming Committee and someone needs to show the Princess how to get to the Magic Box?"

"I'm sure Buffy can ask her the next time she sees her," Xander said, giving Buffy his 'please, please, play along' puppy dog look.

"There's a tourist office in the town hall for that kind of thing." Buffy said, ignoring his expression, and shaking her head at Anya's one track mind. "Xander, did you have a chance to ask your friend about Sailor Mercury? Maybe he knows something different?"

"I passed the word," Xander told her. "It'll probably take a couple days for someone to get back to us."

"Great. Thanks. Let me know when you hear from him," Buffy said as she stood up. "I'll let you guys get back to whatever you were doing."

"Don't forget!" Anya said before Buffy could close the door behind herself. "The Grand Opening is next week."

"Right," Buffy muttered to herself. "On top of everything else, I'm supposed to arrange public appearances for reincarnated royalty? At least the brain rot from living with her again hasn't started to affect Xander yet." She had better things to worry about, like - what does a slayer slash poorly paid food service worker wear to morning coffee with the new doctor in town she wanted to become friends with.


	4. Tea

**Word Count: ** 2,021 (4 of ?)

* * *

Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Buffy shook her head, wondering why she felt so nervous. It was just coffee, with someone she hoped could become a friend. Sure, she wanted to make a good impression on the new doctor, but she was an adult. The rest of her life wasn't going to be defined by how well this went. So that odd, fluttery feeling in her stomach must be something else, she decided.

It wasn't as if she could talk with anyone about it anyway. She was on her own. Tara would have had just the right words to explain things. Or her mother. They'd both been good at rooting out feelings and labeling them, she thought sadly. Dawn wasn't someone she could confide in, even if she wasn't miles away.

Willow? Even if she could call her, they hadn't discussed serious friend things since she'd died and been brought back. And Xander? He'd blab to Anya during an awkward moment and she'd never hear the end of it.

Ex-boyfriends and ex-Watchers were out for reasons more numerous than she could count. And she was really trying to get past the whole leaning on the nearest male shoulder when life got confusing thing anyway. She'd already proved to herself she could be independent again. No point in ruining it by backsliding.

Nodding at her reflection, Buffy took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and strode out of the bathroom and down the stairs, only pausing long enough to grab her favorite leather jacket before leaving the house.

* * *

Arriving a little early, Buffy paced nervously outside the hospital entrance, stopping occasionally to look nervously down at her clothes.

She flexed her feet in her soft, brown leather shoes, great for walking or dancing but not up to the rigors of patrolling, so they rarely escaped her closet. Her faded blue jeans hadn't been her first choice but it was either that or a short skirt that had gone out of style before her last death. Everything else was either in the wash, too formal, or too casual Friday-ish. Her peasant blouse was a very light, soft pink that enforced the cute and harmless look she was aiming for.

She hadn't really worried about her appearance for a long time. In high school, and even during her brief college experience, she would have known exactly what to wear when having coffee with a potential new friend, or even a casual acquaintance. It didn't help that her current clothing budget worked best if she spent it at one of the local consignment shops.

* * *

Standing near the reception desk, Ami watched Buffy pacing back and forth for several minutes.

"Hot breakfast date?"

Squeaking in surprise, Ami turned and glared at Nurse Watson. "Coffee," she mumbled. Clearing her throat she repeated, "Coffee, not a date."

"If you say so, Doctor," Watson said, winking at her. "She doesn't bite, that we know of. You're the first person here she's asked out for 'coffee'," she added with a grin.

Shaking her head, Ami took a slow, deep breath. She'd survived encounters with creatures from the Negaverse and she was friends with some of the most powerful women in the galaxy. Coffee with a tiny, blonde, American monster hunter who didn't know she was really Sailor Mercury? Safer than dinner with Usagi. Squaring her shoulders, she crossed to the door and slipped out into the morning sun.

"Good morning, Buffy-san," Ami said.

"Hi," Buffy said. "You don't mind walking?"

"It's a beautiful morning," Ami said softly, nodding.

Smiling, Buffy proceeded to point out landmarks as they strolled towards downtown.

* * *

Holding the door open, Buffy guided Ami into the coffee shop and towards a small table in a corner.

"What would you like?" Buffy asked her, waving at the counter. "It's not Starbucks but they have real coffee along with the fancier stuff."

"Tea?" Ami said, sitting in the chair Buffy had pulled out for her.

"Herbal? Earl Grey? Something fancy?"

"Herbal," Ami said, giving Buffy a slight smile.

While Ami waited for Buffy to return to their table, she looked around curiously. It wouldn't have looked out of place in some of the more modern districts in Tokyo.

"Thank you," Ami said, taking the mug and box of assorted teas from the tray Buffy placed on their table. A small pot of steaming water completed the collection.

"This must be different for you," Buffy said, watching her select a tea bag and carefully pour water on it.

Ami looked at her questioningly.

"Isn't tea drinking a big thing in Japan?" Buffy asked. "Something people study for years to get right?"

"Temae," Ami said, nodding, "the tea ceremony. It has its place but not here."

"Sorry," Buffy mumbled. "I was just curious."

"No," Ami murmured, "there is nothing to be sorry for. I am not sure how to describe it. There are some things that I find do not translate well. I am finding ordinary life in America to be much different than I expected. People are very abrupt and often blunt. In Japan, life has layers, and history. I think you would find us too formal. Ordinary activities have been refined into elegant ceremonies. Like making tea."

"We're very laid back in California," Buffy said. "We're practically warm and fuzzy compared to people in the Northeast. I haven't had much chance to travel so I'm sure my cultural sensitivity isn't too well developed. I should probably apologize now for any future foot-in-mouthness on my part."

"We can work on understanding each other's cultures together," Ami said before taking a sip of her tea.

"Good. Did you want a muffin?"

"Buffy!" a loud voice shouted across the room before Ami could answer.

"Anya, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Have you asked her yet?" the woman asked. "We're reopening in less than two weeks."

"No," Buffy said, clearly embarrassed. Looking at Ami for a second she said 'Sorry' silently.

"Why not?" the woman, Anya, asked.

"Because I haven't run into her?" Buffy said.

"Who are you?" Anya said abruptly, turning her attention on Ami.

Ami stared at the blunt woman.

"Is she the new Tara?" the woman asked, stepping closer. "Does Willow know? She doesn't look like the Earth mother, witchy type that Willow goes for. They don't usually have blueish tinted hair."

"Anya!"

"What?" she said, scrunching up her nose. "New Watcher? She looks smart."

"Anya," Buffy repeated, "This is Dr. Mizuno. She just started at Sunnydale Memorial."

"Oh," Anya muttered, pausing for a moment. Ami glanced at Buffy who seemed to be bracing herself for another outburst. "If you need any special ingredients for healing spells, I can get them in 24 hours, cash in advance."

"She's not that kind of doctor, Anya," Buffy said.

"You can come to the Grand Reopening and buy things anyway," Anya said to Ami. "Don't forget," she said to Buffy before turning and striding energetically away.

"I'm so sorry," Buffy said, rubbing her eyes.

"Healing spells?" Ami asked curiously, wondering what Buffy would say since she didn't know that she'd run into Ami earlier in the week.

"She runs the local magic shop. She's remodeling after the last earthquake," Buffy said, giving the standard explanation. "She has some of that New Age stuff, since this is California, but the rest of it is authentic. If you believe in that kind of thing," she added.

"Do you?" Ami asked.

"Would you think I'm crazy if I said yes?" Buffy asked nervously.

"No," Ami said. "But I would need you to explain what you mean by magic."

"Magic is magic," Buffy said, shrugging. "You say words in some old language, sprinkle some herbs, or make a potion, that kind of thing, and something happens that can't be explained."

"Can anyone do it?" Ami asked.

"In Sunnydale? Some people can do a lot. Some people almost none. But more than enough to keep Anya in business. Outside of Sunnydale? The Magic Box, Anya's shop, does a lot of business on the Internet."

"Are there other kinds of magic?" Ami asked. She wondered if the nexus energy she'd been detecting somehow powered the magic that Buffy talked about. Or if it was a physical manifestation of the magic. Its' source seemed to be very different than the source that powered the Princess's crystal and Senshi abilities.

"I'm not sure," Buffy said. "It isn't something I've studied. But we do have all sorts of supernatural creatures wandering around so you do need to be careful, especially at night. In fact, you probably should stay inside at night."

"Creatures?" Ami asked, wondering if they were anything like youma or the creature she'd seen Buffy attack the other night.

"Mainly the classics," Buffy said. "Vampires, demons, the occasional werewolf."

"Vampires? Like Dracula?" Ami asked.

"I'm not sure Dracula was actually a regular vampire," Buffy told her, frowning. Giles had never really given her a good answer to that question. "Real vampires can't fly or turn into bats. At least that's what I'm told. They can only come into your home if you invite them."

"Oh."

* * *

"I really enjoyed this morning," Buffy said, standing with Ami in front of her apartment building in one of Sunnydale's yuppified older neighborhoods. "We should do that again."

"I would like that," Ami said.

"Good. Good." Buffy smiled. "You must be tired," she said. "I won't keep you up."

"Goodbye," Ami said, turning to the lobby door.

"Don't forget," Buffy said.

"Hmm?" Ami looked back at her.

"They can only come in if you invite them," she said.

Ami nodded, before opening the door and stepping in.

"Bye," Buffy said, right before the lobby door closed behind Ami.

'Bye'? Buffy grumbled to herself as she walked home. Very articulate there, slayer. And 'don't invite them in'? Very helpful advice. She wonder if Anya has any supernatural self-defense books she could get her. It was either that or tell her about the whole slayer thing, she decided.

* * *

"Hey Xander!" Buffy said, waiting for him at his car at the job site later that evening.

"Hey Buff, what's up?" he asked, opening the trunk and throwing his things in.

"Have you heard anything about Sailor Whats-it from your Buckaroo friends yet?"

"They don't know much," Xander told her. "But they have some theories."

"Good guys? Bad guys?" Buffy asked.

"Definitely of the good," Xander said. "But they aren't regular super-heroes. They're mainly body guards for that princess of theirs."

"So what's one of them doing in Sunnydale?" Buffy asked. "What's the theory?"

"They're either from another dimension or they're elementals?" Xander said.

"Huh?" Buffy frowned. "What's an elemental, Xander-giles"?

"Magical creatures? I think." Xander shook his head. "They have power over the elements, and the planets. Something like that."

"But they're good guys?"

"Yes," Xander said.

"And why Sunnydale?"

"Why don't you just ask her?" Xander said, getting into his car.

"Because..." Buffy muttered, not having a good answer. The excuse she'd given Anya wouldn't work with him. Grumbling under her breath, she climbed into his car.

"They think it was Willow," Xander said several minutes later, pulling up in front of the Magic Box.

"When she had her melt-down?"

"Yup. The government has all these sensors and satellites pointed at Sunnydale, left over from when the Initiative was here," he said. "They recorded some strange energy thing that day."

"And?" Buffy asked, getting out of the car.

"The same kind of energy used to show up on the satellites around Tokyo whenever the Moon Princess and her bodyguards fought whatever they fought."

"Sounds like a coincidence," Buffy said.

"Maybe, but they have scientific proof," Xander told her. "Pictures, and graphs and recordings."

"And they didn't say anything until now, because?"

Xander sighed. "They were told it was none of their business."

"By our favorite interfering London old boys club?" Buffy asked. His silence was answer enough. "You know, I appreciate what they did for Willow, letting us clean up here ourselves, but they need to learn to make with the info sharing."


	5. Temple of Doom

**Word Count: ** 2,531

Staring down at her dinner, Ami absently poked it with her fork. After a long day at the hospital, at the end of a long week, she hadn't been in the mood to cook and had resorted to throwing some kind of semi-edible frozen entree into the small microwave in her apartment. As she chewed, her thoughts kept returning to Buffy Summers.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of Buffy. They'd met for coffee several other times in the past two weeks and had even managed a picnic lunch at the beach the day before. There was an underlying shyness to the dainty blonde when it was just the two of them that seemed at odds with how she'd seen her act while secretly observing her as she made her rounds of Sunnydale. It was almost as if she were two different people, one of whom hunted monsters.

She'd intentionally stayed out of Buffy's way at night, since that first cemetery meeting. It'd taken that long to figure out a pattern to her nightly activities. The path she took around the city appeared random but actually wasn't. It varied gradually over time. Ami wondered who the genius was who'd thought it up was, if it wasn't Buffy herself.

Tonight she was going to join her, hopefully for her entire patrol.

* * *

She found her in one of the newer cemeteries. Even at night it gave an impression of being a restful place, unlike some of the others with their ominous looking tombs and mausoleums.

She stayed back, respectfully letting Buffy have some privacy.

"Sometimes, I wonder why the good die so unexpectedly," Buffy said, her voice carrying to Mercury. Turning to her, she motioned for her to join her. "You wanted to know about that energy blast?"

"Yes," Mercury said.

"This is Tara," Buffy said, squatting down and gently running her hands over the letters on the tombstone. "I wouldn't call her innocent. She'd seen to much before we even met her for that to be true. But she was a good person. Even though her darkest deed wasn't done with the purest of motives, forgiving her was easy."

Mercury knew she was missing something, as she listened to Buffy's soft voice from across the grave. There was something more than the sorrow of a lost friend in her voice.

"But her death almost ended the world," Buffy said. "Something that would have horrified her."

"How?" Mercury asked.

"How far can you walk in those?" Buffy asked, pointing at Mercury's high heeled boots.

"As far as I need to," Mercury said.

"Okay. Have you been to the public high school yet?"

"Not inside," Mercury told her. It had shown up on her scans but hadn't really stuck out.

"Not much to see, if you ignore the portal to Hell in the basement," Buffy said. "But it's really where everything begins."

"Hell?" Mercury asked, wondering if she was being literal.

"Well, to a hell dimension," Buffy clarified. "No one has ever gone into it to find out which one. We're usually too busy trying to keep it closed."

"Is it guarded?" she asked, thinking of the Time Gates Pluto guarded.

"Not normally," Buffy said. Standing up she brushed dirt from her pants.

"No?" Mercury stared at her in shock.

"Nope. What did Xander call it? Oh yeah. We're reactive, not proactive." Shrugging, she started walking away from the grave.

"That doesn't seem sufficient," Mercury said, following her out of the cemetery.

"Apparently, we have sole authority over the area," Buffy said. "Learned that a few months ago," she added, frowning. "But we don't have anyone to spare to keep a constant watch on it. Or at least not someone I trust."

"We?"

"The Sunnydale chapter of the Council of Watchers," Buffy said, stopping in front of the dark high school. "Ancient secret order. Blah, blah, blah. Not the most exciting bunch. Mostly librarians sitting around drinking tea and researching prophecies and such. Almost no budget for field offices."

"Ah."

"We usually have some kind of warning if there's going to be an attempt to open it," Buffy said. "Happens at least once a year. It used to be easier to keep an eye on it when we were in high school," she murmured. "If you want to see it, we'll have to come back later when I can borrow a key." "Yes," Mercury said, quickly scanning the school. "Energy, but not a huge amount," she murmured to herself.

"Not sure what your gadgets can detect," Buffy said, "but the last gang who came to town and got all sciencie about the mystical mojo got killed by their own science projects. Well, most of them."

Looking up at Buffy, Mercury frowned. "I am not sure I can explain it in your language," she said. "Most people who have attempted to study the abilities of myself and the others call it magic. But it is not. It is ritualistic energy manipulation that your science is no advanced enough to understand. The energy here... It is still energy but different in some way. I can measure it but have not been able to discover it's source."

"You're the brain in your gang, aren't you," Buffy stated, with a small grin. "That's why you're in Sunnydale."

Mercury could feel herself blushing. It was true that the others took a less intellectual approach but they all had their strengths.

"Hey, not a problem. We've got our own brain, though she's kind of on R-n-R right now. Somebody on the team has to make with the understanding of the complicated issues so the rest of us can get things done." Buffy nodded at some private thought. "A couple more stops and then you'll have your answer. More or less."

* * *

"This was that rare apocalypse," Buffy said, pointing at a twisted pile of steel beams bathed in harsh florescent light. "It could have happened anywhere. The Hellmouth had nothing to do with it other than being a big evil magnet. Sunnydale just got lucky." She didn't think Mercury needed to know why. "Evil Hellgod wanted to go home, so she had her minions build a tower and they opened a portal."

"A portal?"

"Big glowie thing. Very messy cleanup, or so I'm told, what with the being dead and all," Buffy said nonchalantly, very proud of herself.

"Dead?" Mercury raised an impeccably trimmed eyebrow at her, much to Buffy's delight.

"It was a thing," Buffy told her. "Got better but definitely not recommended as part of a sound mental health plan. Especially if your so called friends are too busy patting themselves on the back to help you deal with the resulting issues."

Mercury cleared her throat, obviously wanting to ask a question but, from Buffy's experience with her so far, was too polite. She wondered if all Japanese super-people were the same.

"Sorry," Buffy said. "It isn't fair to the gang for me to be so bitchy when they can't defend themselves. I'm sure they thought they had good reasons for bringing me back. An adult would be happy to be here and not 6 feet under."

"We've had some experience with our own deaths," Mercury said.

"That's right! Anya did say something about reincarnation," Buffy said. "Anyway, the reason this place is important in your guided tour? It's sort of the middle of the story. The library was the beginning, where Willow first learned about magic. This is the first place that she did magic to Tara instead of with. The Hellbitch stole something from Tara and Willow took it back. I think it tainted her somehow."

* * *

Mercury thought about what she'd learned so far, as they continued walking. There was something missing from Buffy's story.

"Doesn't look too special, does it," Buffy stated, stopping in front of a small house, the only light coming from the porch. "But the trigger for your thing happened here."

"Trigger?"

"Tara," Buffy said. Still talking, she started walking again, at a slightly faster pace. "Willow was her girlfriend. They had completely different ideas about magic. Tara grew up with it. She once said it was a part of her." Buffy stopped at the bottom of a driveway. "We want to go up there," she said, pointing at a moonlit bluff off in the distance, behind the mansion at the other end of the driveway. "Kingman's Bluff."

"And Willow? How did she view this magic?" Mercury asked when they reached a path behind the crumbling mansion.

"Just another tool," Buffy said. "She learned it to help me. And because she was curious. She couldn't resist the challenge of learning something new."

They were both silent as they climbed the path towards the top. Mercury assumed Buffy had some kind of special vision. The only reason she was able to keep up was due to her visor.

"And this would be it," Buffy said, waving an arm at the empty clearing at the top.

Mercury looked around, puzzled. The far end of the bluff was distorted. It was like looking across a wall of heated air. Taking her computer out of its subspace pocket, she tried to adjust her visor to remove the distortion. The sky was starting to lighten with the approaching dawn before she admitted defeat.

"What is it?" she finally asked Buffy, who was leaning against a tree on the edge of the clearing, casually twirling a pointed wooden stick. Standing up, she joined Mercury in the middle of the clearing.

Holding out her right hand, palm up, she said, "Hand, without the glove please."

Putting away her computer, Mercury reluctantly removed a glove. Looking Buffy in the eyes, she firmly grasped the woman's dainty hand.

"Now look," Buffy said softly, pointing towards the distortion.

Turning her head, Mercury could now see a large, looming temple, built in a vaguely familiar style.

"How?"

"We couldn't destroy it, so we hid it," Buffy said. "Well, someone hid it for us until we can figure out what to do with it."

"It is very old," Mercury said, pointing her computer at it with her free hand. "And contains a large amount of dark energy."

"That would probably be because of Proserpexa," Buffy said, pointing at a large statue on the temple. "This isn't the first time someone tried to use her temple to end the world. Not sure if it is actually possible. The last time an earthquake buried it and her worshippers instead."

Frowning, Mercury looked down as her computer started beeping. "It's the same style as several temples built by a people who disappeared before the founding of the Moon Kingdom," Mercury said.

"So there are more of them out there?"

"Possibly. I will need to research it," she said.

"Well, if you can find a way to turn it off or de-evil it, that would make me happy," Buffy said. "One less apocalyptic artifact in my town the better."

Mercury turned back to Buffy, releasing her hand. "I will keep you informed."

"Good. Let's go back to the house and wrap this up. I could use some coffee."

* * *

Mercury sat on the porch, legs crossed, hands in her lap, as she listened to Buffy. Watching her brought up dim memories of sitting around a campfire with the Princess and the other Senshi, as old warriors told them tales of the Senshi who had come before them.

"It's a simple story. You've already heard parts of it," Buffy said. "And you've probably heard stories like it before."

"A hero wanders into town. A shy, powerless girl learns the world is bigger and scarier than she thought.

Learns that the hero is flawed, like all such heroes. Becomes one of the hero's most trusted companions and learns magic to help out. Enjoys the feeling of power that magic gives her. The superiority it makes her feel.

The girl meets another girl who does magic. A girl who was even shyer.

They fall in love.

During the annual apocalypse, the new girl is hurt, and our Girl uses powerful magic to fix her. She likes the feeling it gives her.

The hero dies but the Girl refuses to accept this and delves into deep, dark magic to bring the hero back. The Girl's success makes her arrogant. She becomes addicted to the feeling that using so much power gave her.

No relationship is perfect, though the Girl and New Girl seem that way to their friends. They have the Usual ups and downs. During one of their downs, the Girl, in her arrogance, fixes things with magic. She makes the New Girl forget their argument. She tries to fix the hero the same way, to make her forget dying.

It backfires, as things tend to do, and the Girl and New Girl break up. The Girl eventually reaches bottom, cleans up her act and she and the New Girl get back together.

Soon after, an enemy of the hero, she didn't have many, tired of having his plans constantly foiled, tried to kill the hero. His first shot missed the hero, the second didn't.

But that first shot hit an innocent bystander. The New Girl died in the Girl's arms.

The Girl went insane with grief and after fixing the hero absorbed a lots of dark magic, which, as you've probably noticed, is very plentiful around here. Her former mentor tried to stop her by dosing her with white magic but it didn't work.

The Girl avenged the New Girl using very dark magic but vengeance didn't make her feel better. The white magic backfired. The Girl felt the pain of the whole world, not just her own . So, she pulled Proserpexa's temple out of the ground and tried to stop everyone's pain by ending the world.

Fortunately, she was stopped before she could do it."

"Any questions?" Buffy asked, sitting down on the porch.

"The girl who died, that was Tara?" Mercury asked.

"Yes."

"And it was Willow who tried to end the world."

"Yes."

"How did you stop her," Mercury asked.

"I didn't," Buffy said. "Love did."

"But her love was dead," Mercury said.

"But there were others who loved her in other ways," Buffy said. "Her best friend, someone who'd been by her side since she was five, managed to reach out to her and stop her."

"Where is she now?"

"With a coven we work with," Buffy said. "Recovering."

"Is she a threat?"

"Not now," Buffy said. "I won't say never, but she was never truly evil. They tell me she'll never be the same. Channeling that kind of power changes a person."

"Okay," Mercury said, standing up to leave.

"Just 'okay', no demands that she be brought to justice or be punished?" Buffy asked defensively.

"It is tragic," Mercury said, speaking softly. She wondered who had been so unreasonable about Buffy's friend to cause this reaction. "But the world didn't end. It is not my right to judge what someone else did for love. The Princess would have scolded her and then hugged her," she added.

Buffy frowned at her. "You aren't what I expected," she said, tilting her head slightly.


End file.
